In a study recently published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, researchers conducted a number of experiments comparing eye movements in typically developing individuals and individuals with autism. While participants tracked a visual target on a screen, researchers monitored the sensory motor control centers in the cerebellum. They found that typically developing individuals were able to correctly adjust the size of their eye movements as the task went on, while those with autism were not. This result not only suggests cerebellum dysfunction, but might also help to explain many of the communication and social deficits that those with autism typically experience. Edward Freedman, Ph.D., went on to say that eye tracking measures may serve as a new method that will allow early detection of autism.
Research in the NDL uses eye tracking to record individuals’ eye movements as they complete a rapid naming task. Results have indicated that people with autism tend not to look as far ahead (to the next items in the list) as people without autism, and also tend to look back at previous items more often. We see these differences mirrored in relatives of people with autism, suggesting that differences in gaze patterns might be linked to the genetics behind autism.
